Without a constant influx of knowledgeable PC and network support staff, business throughout the country (along with most other places) would be likely to grind to a halt. We have an on-going demand for technically able people to support both users and the systems they work with. Our need for the above mentioned members of the workforce is constantly growing, as commercial enterprise becomes progressively more reliant on computers.

Does job security really exist anywhere now? In the UK for example, where industry can change its mind on a day-to-day basis, it certainly appears not. Now, we only experience security via a quickly growing marketplace, fuelled by work-skills shortages. It's this alone that creates the correct environment for a secure marketplace - a more attractive situation all round.

Recently, a UK e-Skills study demonstrated that 26 percent of all available IT positions remain unfilled as an upshot of a lack of appropriately certified professionals. Or, to put it differently, this reveals that Great Britain can only locate 3 certified professionals for every 4 jobs that exist today. This single notion alone highlights why the UK desperately needs considerably more trainees to get into the industry. In reality, seeking in-depth commercial IT training as you progress through the next year or two is most likely the finest career direction you could choose.

You'll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. But before you get taken in by this so-called guarantee, consider this:

They've allowed costings for it somehow. It's definitely not free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package. If you want to pass first time, you must avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, prioritise it appropriately and apply yourself as required.

Isn't it outrageous to have to pay a training college early for examinations? Find the best deal you can at the time, instead of paying any mark-up - and take it closer to home - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call. A great deal of money is netted by a number of companies who incorporate exam fees into the cost of the course. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don't get to do their exams but no refunds are given. Believe it or not, providers exist who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - and that's how they increase their profits. The majority of organisations will insist that you take mock exams first and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you have proved to them you have a good chance of passing - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.

On average, exams cost about 112 pounds last year when taken at UK VUE or Prometric centres. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to have 'an Exam Guarantee', when common sense dictates that what's really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

We can guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the 'hands-on' type. If you're anything like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you'll make yourself do if you have to, but it's not really your thing. You should use video and multimedia based materials if learning from books is not your thing. Many years of research has repeatedly verified that connecting physically with our study, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

Modern training can now be done at home via interactive CD and DVD ROM's. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you'll take everything in via their teaching and demonstrations. You can then test yourself by using practice-lab's. You really need to look at the type of training provided by your chosen company. You'll want to see that they include instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's.

Some companies only have access to just online versions of their training packages; sometimes you can get away with this - but, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. It's much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs that will solve that problem.

There are a myriad of work available in computing. Finding the particular one out of this complexity is generally problematic. I mean, without any experience in the IT industry, how can you expect to know what any qualified IT worker spends their day doing? And of course decide on what educational path will be most suitable for success. To come through this, a discussion is necessary, covering many definitive areas:

* Your personality can play a major role - what gives you a 'kick', and what are the things that you really dislike.

* Do you hope to realise a key dream - for instance, working from home as quickly as possible?

* How highly do you rate salary - is it very important, or do you place job satisfaction a lot higher on your list of priorities?

* Many students don't properly consider the level of commitment needed to attain their desired level.

* You have to take in what is different for each individual training area.

Ultimately, the best way of covering these is from a good talk with an advisor or professional who understands the market well enough to be able to guide you.

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